Thousands of mourners on Thursday bid a tearful adieu to one of country's most promising politicians and Bharatiya Janata Party's master strategist Pramod Mahajan, who was cremated at the Shivaji Park crematorium in Mumbai with full state honours in the presence of several dignitaries, including Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat.

The former Union minister's son, Rahul, lit the funeral pyre amid chanting of Vedic hymns. The bugles sounded the last post and Maharashtra police personnel reversed their arms and fired in the air as a mark of respect to the leader, who died on Wednesday at the Hinduja Hospital in the city 12 days after his younger brother Pravin pumped three bullets into him.

Rahul hugged and consoled his sister Poonam as Mahajan's mortal remains went up in flames. Mahajan's brother Prakash, brother-in-law Gopinath Munde and close associate Sudhanshu Mittal broke down and were comforted by party leaders and workers.

Present at the cremation grounds to pay homage to the departed soul were Vice-President Shekhawat and a shocked BJP top brass led by former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and leaders of Opposition L K Advani and Jaswant Singh.

A wreath on behalf of President A P J Abdul Kalam was placed on the casket containing Mahajan's body. Other leaders too offered floral tributes. While Mahajan's younger brother, Pravin, who shot him is in jail, his (Pravin's) wife and their children kept away from the cremation.

BJP president Rajnath Singh and son Rahul were among the pallbearers who kept the body in a flower-bedecked truck. Mahajan's body was brought to the cremation grounds in a funeral procession, which wound its way through the streets of Mumbai from his Worli residence, where he was shot at and injured by Pravin on April 22.